A chapter closes amicably

It was not an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. The incident was a serious one but the settlement was amicable. In February, a Nalanda College student of Grade 12 who was on his way to the railway station to board a train home after school was assaulted by a few Ananda College students.

This may have been due to rivalry between two groups of students from the school, it was found at that time, although the victim in the February incident had not been involved.

Two of the boys who had allegedly been involved in the incident surrendered to the Maradana Police on February 19 and were produced in the Magistrate’s Court on February 21, with a decision being taken to put the matter before the Mediation Board.Once the two youth and also another, went before the Mediation Board along with the victim and accepted their misdemeanour and said they were sorry it was time to decide on the “punishment”.

And the call of the victim’s parents was for justice tempered with compassion taking into consideration the future of the three youth.

So amidst a small gathering of parents and children, all in some way connected to the incident, and the authorities of both schools, a simple ceremony saw books worth Rs. 25,000 being donated by the three youth to the Nalanda College library. These books, science as well as literature, now adorning the shelves of the Nalanda library will be testimony to a youth issue settled without vengeance or rancour.